Saugatuck Summer

Saugatuck Summer, coming May 19 from Riptide Publishing

One summer can change everything.

Hi, I’m Topher Carlisle: twenty-one, pretty, and fabulous. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. But let’s get real. Walking the fake-it-til-you-make-it road to independence and self-respect isn’t easy. Especially since my mom’s a deadbeat alcoholic, and most of my family expects me to turn out just as worthless. Oh, and I’m close to losing my college swimming scholarship, so let’s add “dropout” to the list.

My BFF has invited me to stay at her beach house on the shore of Lake Michigan. That’ll give me one summer to make money and figure out what I want to do with my life. So of course I decide to have an affair with my BFF’s married, closeted dad. Because that always works out.

Now I’m homeless, friendless, jobless. Worthless. Just like my family expects, right? Except there’s this great guy, Jace, who sees it differently. He’s got it all together in ways I can only dream of—he’s hot, creative, insightful, understanding. He seems to think I don’t give myself enough credit. And if I don’t watch out, I may start to believe him.

“I can think of quite a few of these guys that have stayed with me long after I finished their book. Topher will be one of those guys!” — Vanessa, The Jeep Diva

Note:

If some of you recall, Topher was first mentioned in The Field of Someone Else’s Dreams, my Love Has No Boundaries freebie for Goodread’s M/M Romance Group’s Don’t Read in the Closet event last year. That story isn’t necessary to read Saugatuck Summer, but for those of you who enjoyed Matt and Chris from The Field of Someone Else’s Dreams, be aware that I will be continuing the Saugatuck universe and giving them their own novel in the near future, so go ahead and check that out!

I apologize that it took me so longer to respond to this. It got buried in a bunch of correspondence I meant to answer and lost track of.

Ideally, Brendan WILL have his own book. I have a few other Saugatuck characters I plan to address first, but eventually, yes, Brendan is going to come out the other side of his mid-life crisis and take a good, hard look at himself.

I love this story and I have reread it multiple times and i have never highlighted a book sooo many times. I have to say that when Topher had the showdown with his family,shiznit got real. I love how you captured Topher’s blackness at that moment. The sarcastic tone mixed with the sass and disbelief. “Ms Open-Hand-Empty-Palm lecturing me” had me rolliing. And being the child of an alcoholic whom followed me to school wearing flip flops with ashy feet , a hat that said “whoop there it is” on it and pippy longstocking braids, you captured that awkward, cringing embarrassed feeling many of us suffer through with substance abusing parents. pardon my rambling, im just touched

Thank you so much for your comment. Topher holds a very special place in my heart and feels very real and human to me. He’s not perfect; he screws up badly, but he comes from a very real place, a place I think a lot of us who grew up with alcoholic parents can relate to.